Nature Spirits
by MarcieMouse
Summary: "I feel dead though, that much is for sure," she smiled wider, "but I can't die. What a curse!" She giggled, her laugh akin to sweet bells or a lullaby played on a music box. She propped herself up on her elbows. "It makes my head hurt. Could you kill me?" Her back arched, screams pelted from her lips, obliterating the melodies that her laugher had released into the forest.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey first fic in _forever_. I don't really know where this is going. Reviews and constructive criticism are very much appreciated!**

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Wide eyes wandered the trees, passing over the dewy leaves and the incandescent green that hung in canopies above his head. What had started out as a hunt had turned into aimless circling as the man pushed through branch after branch. He let the branches brush his arms as he passed so that the sparkling droplets could seep through his clothes and cool his burning skin. The morning was humid, the sun relentlessly hot, but the day beautiful. He did not see that.

Inside him, underneath the peaceful exterior, waged a brutal war. His flesh thirsted for the dying souls surrounding him. The last breath of a rabbit was calling his body, the frantic fluttering of an injured bird tugged at his mind; even the last pulsing of a wasp's wings caught his attention. And though he was capable of sensing every dying thing in this vast forest, his focus was on something bigger. A human was dying, the human that was causing him such internal struggle. He could sense that the person was kind, gentle, benevolent, but so close to death that only an angel of death like himself could save it. He hated souls like these.

They were the sweetest souls, the nectar he craved the most. What his insatiable hunger called for every waking hour. Yet they were the hardest to eat. The evil ones, the ones that caused more harm than good, were light on the mind but heavy in the stomach, leaving him feeling queasy and dissatisfied. But this soul was particularly beautiful, one of God's masterpieces, and he was on his way to devour it.

Thus he stepped slowly through the brush, hoping that if he could delay he would get there after the actual death and not face guilt for not saving this damned human, but his primal instincts were beginning to cloud his judgement.

He turned sharply left, feeling its proximity. Tree branches snapped back as he passed, droplets flinging through the humid air. _It's close. It's so close. So sweet. So very close to death. _The angel pushed the final bunch of branches out of the way, breaking a few in his haste.

His internal battle failed to prepare him for the sight. Under sapphire heavens, under the greenest glistening green a forest could be, under soft pink petals hanging from branches, lay the most beautiful girl to ever grace the earth. Her skin was pale, but glowed like stars had implanted themselves just underneath her surface. The sprightly girl's hair was an ashy blonde, with sunshine trapped in her locks. Only her eyes betrayed her.

The man stared straight into the jade eyes, straight into what looked like the definition of death. He saw hopelessness, pain, total loss of any will to survive in her eyes. But she continued to breathe. To lay there, sprawled out with her white dress splayed all around her, continued to stare straight back at him. _But she's dying._

He never let go of the urge to rip her soul from her body all throughout this time of observation, but he could not bring himself to mar that perfect skin. The girl smiled.

"You want to know what I am?"

He did not respond.

"You can smell my soul, right? It smells dead. But I'm very alive, right?"

He considered her smile, considered her scent, her soul. No obvious conclusions to be drawn yet.

"I feel dead though, that much is for sure," she smiled wider, "but I can't die. What a curse!" She giggled, her laugh akin to sweet bells or a lullaby played on a music box. "I hate being like this. Everything is so happy and sad and confusing," she propped herself up on her elbows. "It makes my head hurt. Could you kill me?"

It clicked. _She's possessed. She's a human possessed by an insane spirit._

"Sure," He replied, stepping forward across the lush grass. Where he stepped, the grass died, but was green again within seconds. Their powers were at odds here, hers of life and his of death. His tried to combat such life by killing the plants around it, but she only grew them again; neither could win.

"At least my last sight will be handsome," She laughed again, the bells tinkling their way through the treetops.

He placed a hand on her stomach, tanned flesh contrasting in harsh lines with her startling white dress. "_So thin,"_ he thought, unsure of if he was thinking about her dress or her emotional state. He twisted his hand, and focused on her eyes. As he watched, they grew wider. Her back arched, screams pelted from her lips, obliterating the sweet melodies that her laughter had released into the forest. Her hands became claws, grabbing at the grass, at the dirt, _anything_, and all the while his hand stayed and he kept eye contact. Concentrating, he slowly moved his hand upwards, pulling an orb of light pink light with him. The orb swirled strangely, oscillating and pulsing at rapid and erratic speeds. The soul of an insane nymph. He dropped it down his throat, relishing its bitter sweetness, and once again looked at the girl on the forest floor.

Her skin glowed even then, but now from her own beauty. (Which was equally as breathtaking.) The dead eyes were alive, and watering as well. His hunger was temporarily satisfied, and he now appreciated the perfection that was in front of him. She was petite, innocent, utterly flawless, and with such long legs to boot. It was his turn to smile.

"Thank you," She met his glaze, ignoring the sharp teeth and the eyes that obviously saw her only as a piece of meat.

"It was my pleasure." He continued to kneel next to her.

"What was in me?"

"A crazed nymph spirit. The plant she was connected to probably died and she flung herself at the most substantial life form in the vicinity, which was you."

"I wanted to die."

"I couldn't kill a soul like that." _Or a body like that._

"Thank you." He didn't want this girl to go away.

"Name?" He asked, his eyes roaming to her chest to concentrate on her soul.

"M-maka," She shivered under his gaze. He looked back in her eyes in response.

Her soul was tempting and continued to reek of death.

"Would you take a walk with me, Maka?"


	2. Chapter 2

Maka trailed behind the man, ducking under the dewy branches that her savior held out of the way. He had barely uttered a word, mumbling something about "stay quiet," which was enough to shut the girl up quickly. His sharp teeth and red eyes sent a shiver and feeling of dread down her spine, but he had also saved her from that spirit, so he couldn't be entirely bad.

She looked around at her surroundings, really seeing them for the first time in weeks. She could not remember what forest they were in, the day, month, even the year. She could not remember anything but her name and her time as a nymph's vessel. She looked down at her hands, hoping that some clue about her existence would be written on her fingers. _I look young, but fully-grown. I'm maybe 16?But I could maybe be 20? _She tilted her hands every which way, spread and curled her fingers, but found no other clues about her age or history.

"Your hands must be utterly fascinating," The man said from in front of her.

"I was trying to figure out who I am,"

"You're Maka. You just told me that, idiot."

"I know," She frowned at his back, "but that's all I know."

"You just get more and more interesting."

He led her out of the canopy of trees onto a dusty road that offered no protection from the blazing sun. He increased his pace now that no trees could obstruct his path, and Maka, still a little weak from having another soul take control of her body, struggled along behind him. She hid her exhaustion as best as she could, but he had seen this before and knew she must be tired. However, he did not let this slow his place.

"Call me Soul, by the way," he said, finally breaking the silence.

"Well hi, Soul," Maka huffed from a good six feet behind him.

"How'd you manage to get yourself in such a situation back there?"

"I don't remember," her voice was quiet now as she rubbed her hands together again.

"What _do_ you remember?" Soul raised an eyebrow in interest, but poor Maka couldn't see his face while she struggled to keep up.

"I remember the... nymph, did you say? I remember her," _What do I remember?_

"That's a start,"

"I guess," Her voice shook a little more than she would have liked.

"We'll figure it out, don't worry. I'm a pretty important guy, I'm sure I know someone who can help."

"I would really appreciate that, thank you!" She perked up considerably, although she was still about to drop from exhaustion. "I hope you don't go too far out of your way, though. I don't want to put you through trouble. I owe you too much already."

"I'll figure out a way for you to pay me back, relax,"

At this, Maka shut up. Their feet kicked up dirt with every step causing a small brown cloud to hover around them while they walked. The dust stuck to Maka's sweaty calves and ankles as she almost ran to keep up, her breath heaving heavily in her chest. Her mind felt clear for the first time in god knows how long, a veil of anger and insanity finally lifted from her eyes. She relished in the control of her limbs, in the feeling of having her body to herself, but mostly in the newfound will to live. She felt hope blossoming in her chest, like a rose was taking root and blooming somewhere. She felt the beauty in her new will, but thorns of doubt and fear poked at her insides. They scratched at her throat as she thought about her lack of memory, dug into her abdomen when she considered where she would go from here. She had to distract herself before she began to cry. She didn't know how, but she knew she was a tough girl who _would not_ cry over something so stupid.

"Hey, Soul?" He grunted in response. "Where are we going?"

"You're tired, right? We're headed for a place to stay for the night."

"Oh, ok. Thank you."

"You don't have to keep saying thanks."

"No, I do! You're doing a lot for me!"

"A cool guy wouldn't leave you around like that. You could get hurt when you're this weak."

"How'd you know that?"

"I've seen this happen before. It's not uncommon to feel fatigued. Plus I can hear you heaving and tripping over your own feet back there."

"You would be too if you'd just had a spirit pulled out of your stomach..." Maka huffed and crossed her arms like a little kid.

"Wanna' bet?" Soul laughed at the palpable annoyance in the air. She was feisty in addition to pretty, although he was beginning to realize she was a little too flat for his liking.

"Yeah, I do," She finally sounded strong, and Soul imagined this was her normal voice.

"Hah, don't kid yourself."

"Be quiet,"

"If you insist," He stuffed his hands in his pockets and slowed to walk by her. His slouch was beginning to grate on her nerves a little bit, but she decided to bite her tongue.

"Do you need to take a break?" Soul, now walking by her side, was finally able to see her face. And it looked pretty bad.

"Of course not! I'm perfectly fine," Maka looked straight in his red eyes, but he obviously wasn't fooled.

Soul veered off the path and she followed behind dutifully, huffing about "being ok" and "being a big girl" but was inwardly very happy about this. He led her back under the welcoming cover of leaves and deeper into the woods until they reached a small stream. Maka swore she could cry of joy, but decided to wait for Soul's example. He knelt down by the stream and splashed water onto his face and rinsed the dirt off his hands, then promptly looked at Maka like she was insane because she had not started to do anything.

"Fine, I need a break."

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What had began as a quick break had quickly disintegrated into an all-day affair. After washing up and drinking her fill, Maka decided she needed to rest against a tree. She and soul snacked on bits of bread and dried fruits together. Eventually her eyes started drooping and he started humming such a lovely melody that she dozed into the sweetest sleep she's ever had. Soul moved her a bit so that she was laying down with her head on soft moss, expecting her to wake up any moment. Luckily for him, that nymph soul had filled him up so that he could keep his head on straight again for a while longer. When he smelled such a wonderful dying soul his most primitive instincts came out, usually hunger, followed quickly by lust, violence and greed. Souls were the most important and treasured thing in his life and also the bane of his existence. It was like he needed the civility that most of the souls possessed to stay civil himself. Which made absolutely no sense, but he couldn't very well help the way he felt.

Maka intrigued him. She was possessed, she was attractive, she was feisty, she seemed intelligent, and she remembered absolutely nothing about herself. Loosing memory after a possession like that was extremely rare and more often than not on purpose. Which means she must be someone worth wiping the memory of. Or know dirt about someone important. Either way, Soul was almost certain she was wrapped up in something bigger than she knew, so he was determined to help her, if only because of his own curiosity. Besides, she was his responsibility now—no matter how little he wanted to babysit her, he couldn't leave a girl with no memory to fend for herself! If he couldn't find her past, he would find a future for her in some small town. She was human and humans adapt quickly.

Somewhere in this train of thought, Soul let time slip. He started fantasizing and imagining all the dangerous and incredible plots Maka could be involved in and didn't notice the sun pass from morning to afternoon until a bunny caught his attention and made him notice his surroundings again. He stepped over to Maka with the intentions of waking her up and making her walk her ass to the nearest inn, but she really looked close to death. Instead he scooped her up bridal-style and walked out of the woods with her. He braced himself for the sun's assault as he stepped out of the trees, sweat immediately pouring from his pores; likewise, Maka's hair began to get damp and sticky against his chest as sweat beaded on her brow.

The two continued down the deserted road, her head lolling against his chest and her breath tickling his neck. Her face still had that glow the he had originally noticed, although the dark circles pooling under her eyes made it hard to appreciate. He realized now that her golden hair was actually thick with tangles and dirt and her body felt unnaturally thin. What had this spirit been doing to her? _Should I just kill her now and take that soul? Clearly someone wants her out of the way.  
_

Soon the sun dropped to near the horizon, releasing purples and pinks into the atmosphere. The moon already began to glow in the still-blue regions of the sky; it's ghostly radiance pale in comparison with the fiery sunset blazing against the earth. Clouds swirled in puffs and tufts, also clothed in rose and gold above the treetops. Travelers stopped to marvel at such beauty, at such a pristine example of nature's glory, but not Soul. Soul could see the Inn in the distance. Soul was carrying this damned girl still. And Soul was hungry, not the soul-hungry but the needs-energy-too-much-physical-work-could-eat-a-co w hungry. He did not spare a glance to the sky as he approached the out-dated inn, completely exhausted from all of his efforts.

An employee rushed to his side, ushering him to a seat where he could rest Maka. Upon being set down, she slumped over like a rag doll and drooled onto the armrest.

"One room, two beds, one night" Soul slouched against the counter of the lobby.

"Yessir! Checkout's at noon! Follow James here, he'll take you to your rooms," The man ushered to a teenage guy leaning against the far wall of the lobby. Upon hearing his name, he perked, saluted in the general direction of the desk, and began marching down the hallway. Soul grabbed the key from the man at the desk and scooped up Maka before following the over-eager James.

The room was small, dingy, a little grimy and rickety, but it also had two beds; therefore it was the most beautiful room Soul had ever seen. He unceremoniously dropped Maka on the nearest bed so that he could collapse a few seconds later. He ignored his growling stomach, ignored how his feet felt swollen and heavy from walking, and ignored the discomfort of being fully clothed. He didn't care how early it was, he had been chasing souls for two days without a break and walked miles with a girl in his arms. It was time to sleep, dammit.

As soon as he was out, Maka woke up with her entire right side being asleep. She lifted herself up from the bed, shaking her right arm, wiggling her toes, and staring at Soul. Moonlight was drifting in through the gossamer curtains, ghost-light in the small room. The dark furniture drank up the light, stealing it away from her eyes so that she could barely see her room, save for the patch where Soul lay. His hair shone in the light, so startlingly bright Maka thought she might be hallucinating. His face, however, was squished against the bed, drooling and snoring and looking like an utter mess. As she wiggled herself back into her own bed, she thanked her lucky stars that this odd man had decided to talk a walk in her neck of the woods.

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**A/N: thanks to those that have reviews and favorited and followed! It makes my day!**


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